Rwandans today, April 13, conclude the weeklong official mourning period during which they commemorated, for the 27th time, the over one million victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Like last year, the 2021 commemorations were particularly challenging for survivors and the country at large as Rwanda – and the rest of the world – is the middle of a pandemic which has forced strict restrictions and curbs on physical gatherings. This means that, for the second year running, many survivors have had to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and other traumatic experiences which tend to spike around this national period of mourning. The official mourning week will end with a special remembrance of politicians slain for who they were or for standing up to hate and genocide ideology. While it’s the bad politicians – the extremist members of the Akazu clique – that conceived, planned and executed the Genocide, some political leaders rejected the devilish agenda and denounced its architects. They did so well knowing the nature of the threat they were exposing themselves to and many paid the ultimate price in the process. The Genocide against the Tutsi was the result of decades of concerted partisan politics, bigotry and misrule that divided the people of Rwanda along artificial ethnic identities which were first promoted by colonialists. The masterminds of the Genocide against the Tutsi inherited the same ideology from earlier generations of extremist politicians who were given custody of the affairs of Rwanda’s public life by departing Belgian colonialists in the early 60s with the latter keen on retaining influence over the post-colonial government. For the past 27 years, the leadership that liberated Rwanda and ended the killings have been rebuilding the country with the objective of shaping new generations of patriotic citizens who value and are ready to defend the rights and dignity of one another. Today, many who were born after the Genocide have since come of age having grown up in an inclusive country that trained them to be responsible citizens and one that cherished the sanctity of human life. It is these young generations and those that will come after them that will carry on with the legacy of the heroism and selflessness that characterised the brave patriots that inspired this country’s rebirth. As Rwandans continue to pay tribute to their loved ones who were slaughtered simply because they were Tutsi, Rwandans, especially young generations, should stand up to the plate and ensure that this country’s gains made over the last 27 years or so are jealously guarded and consolidated.
